**Georgian Opposition Leader’s Husband Abducted and Forced to Apologize**
Tina Bokuchava, the chairwoman of Georgia’s opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, has made a shocking claim that her husband was abducted and forced to release a video apology to Uta Ivanishvili, son of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. The apology was for 2018 comments made by Bokuchava’s husband, Kote Ioseliani, about Ivanishvili’s son being in a romantic relationship with a senior male official.
In a statement on June 9, Bokuchava said that her husband’s abduction was meant to intimidate her and silence the opposition party. She claimed that five masked individuals ambushed her husband at night, forced him into a car, blindfolded him, and took him to an unknown building where he was held for eight hours.
During his captivity, Ioseliani was allegedly threatened with harm against his children and had his daily routes and the locations of his family’s schools and kindergartens pointed out. Bokuchava said that she tried to contact her husband but was prevented from doing so by his captors.
The abduction and threats forced Ioseliani to apologize to Uta Ivanishvili for a second time, just days after releasing a video apology on social media. In the video, Ioseliani claimed that his original remarks were “a lie” and that he had never heard anything about Ivanishvili’s orientation.
**A Threat to Democracy?**
Bokuchava has vowed not to stay silent in the face of this intimidation and has called on her opponents in the ruling party to be held accountable. She accused Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and Interior Minister Gela Gelashvili of being behind the abduction.
The incident has raised concerns about the state of democracy in Georgia, with some politicians comparing it to practices used by Ramzan Kadyrov’s regime in Chechnya. Ana Tsitlidze, a fellow UNM politician, suggested that Bokuchava’s intimidation may also be intended to pressure her party to participate in upcoming local elections.
**A Message from the Opposition**
In response to the incident, Bokuchava delivered a stern message to her opponents, saying “I am not afraid. I will not stay silent. And I will fight to dismantle your violent, treacherous regime.” This statement reflects the opposition party’s determination to continue fighting for democracy and human rights in Georgia.
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